ANA
Maddoc didn’t return until just before dusk.
He entered with a bundle of furs and hats and cloaks and threw them down on the table before pulling her out of bed to dress her. Ana observed him. He seemed solemn as he untangled her hair, but she couldn’t judge his mood.
She’d spent the day in bed, mulling over their conversation and everything that happened since she arrived, but she still couldn’t make sense of much. Part of her recognized she was exhausted and emotionally drained and couldn’t think clearly about anything. It could be what happened yesterday in the healing tent, or it could be the breaking point of seeing all that abuse in the kingdom. Another part of her recognized that she had stopped thinking of trying to escape—that she was starting to care Maddoc was successful when they went out to interfere with the royal houses. And that scared her. She could see with her own eyes that what the houses were doing was wrong, but after reading all those reports and hearing about Maddoc’s “destruction” all her life, supporting him felt like treason. Not to mention, she was beginning to care greatly for him beyond their attraction.
“Why do you always dress me every morning,” she asked tentatively.
Maddoc made a sound in the back of his throat. “It is not morning.”
Ana lowered her head. So he was still annoyed.
After a moment, he said, “I started doing it because it was the only way I could have time with you alone when I stopped sleeping in here. And then I noticed you enjoyed it, so I kept doing it.”
A flush crept up Ana’s neck. She did enjoy it, and it was for the same reason—she wanted to be near him.
“I need to bathe,” she said, as he pulled on a thick tunic over her head.
“No.”
“But… I smell.”
Maddoc paused, looking at her in the eyes. “Should I bathe?”
Ana leaned forward to sniff him. He still smelled of last night, and it wasn’t just her scent—her dried, old slick still coated his face and neck. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment as she leaned back, but deep within her, a preening satisfaction bloomed that he smelled like he was hers.
“Should I?” he asked again.
Ana shook her head.
Maddoc dipped his head in agreement. “And neither will you. You will smell of me while you travel so all are aware. Bathe when you get there.”
“Get where?” His cryptic last line to her earlier seemed to suggest he would take her back to the palace, but she knew that wasn’t the case. She wasn’t even sure she wanted to go back.
Maddoc didn’t answer. Once she was wrapped in layers of clothing and furs, he lifted her into his arms.
They trudged outside as the darkening skies approached, and when they reached the campfire several families stood with the highcloaks, talking excitedly among themselves.
“These families are coming with us?” Ana asked, confused.
Maddoc nodded.
They exited the camp and traveled through the dense trees as usual, but when they got to the more spacious area, no horses waited. They trudged through the forest on foot, veering sharply to the right, and the whole party was quiet, even the children. Ana noticed that Maddoc was carrying her slightly differently, more heavily on his left arm.
“I can walk if your shoulder hurts,” she said, quietly.
“No.”
“If we walk for too long, your injury could get worse,” she insisted.
“It’s not much longer.”
“Did…” Ana swallowed. “Did Raine finish treating it?”
“No, but there’s not much she can do anyway.”
“What do you mean.” Ana’s voice rose slightly, a tinge of panic fluttering in her chest.
Maddoc glanced at her, his beard twitching. “Our main healer is traveling, but I will see her to treat me.”
Ana relaxed a little. “Oh.”
After a while, they came to a wide river. Ana looked up and down it curiously. This must be the river Joe and Conrad’s camp had been talking about. It was calm, not a ripple across the waters reflecting the fading sun.
Maddoc carefully set Ana down and drew something from his pocket. The families around whispered quietly, eager for something, everyone watching Maddoc and the river.
He held a fist of what looked like sparkling sand over the water and sprinkled it in a circular motion until his hand was empty. The sand made tiny, golden, ripples in the waves, and as Ana watched them, they came together and hardened to form a huge, flat, golden raft with tiny ridges on its top.
Ana opened her mouth and then closed it again, blinking to make sure she hadn’t just seen the impossible. The sand suddenly turned into the raft? But before she could say anything, the families and highcloaks were already climbing on.
Ana dragged her eyes from the raft, her eyes wide on Maddoc. “Did you do that?” she gasped.
Maddoc chuckled.
Ana’s eyes widened even further and she turned to look back at the raft. “That’s magic?”
“Yes.”
Ana stared at the raft as the families all climbed on and shuffled near the middle. The highcloaks stood around the edges.
Maddoc took Ana’s head in his hands and pulled her eyes back to him. “Analisa.” Ana quickly sobered, at the strange look in his eyes. “It was not my intention to shoot your father.” His low voice rumbled through her just as it always did when he spoke quietly close to her. “I did what I had to do in battle, and in that one, I took actions against the man who ripped my Omega from my arms. I didn’t know it was your father until my arrow released from my bow.”
Ana swallowed, recalling how quick everything happened.
“I do not regret shooting him,” he clarified, “but I am sorry that you are unable to see past your grief for such a man. Your father made an agreement with me that he would let me keep you if I got to you first. And I did. But he still tried to take you away.”
Ana opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. What could she say? Why would her father make such an agreement? She recognized that there was very little point in Maddoc lying about it, but Father was also not here to defend himself.
“I know you are already forming excuses for him in your mind,” Maddoc said, a snarl in his throat. “You are a specialist at making excuses for them.”
Ana smiled at him, but it was sad. “We come from very different worlds, Maddoc.”
“That does not mean we do not belong together,” he said. “We do. Once I have finished my duties, I will join you.”
Ana frowned. “What do you…?” She glanced at the raft. “You’re not coming with us?”
Maddoc kissed her hard, just the way he always had when he came to see her in the evenings, full of passion and longing and a desperate need to taste her.
When he pulled away Ana had tears in her eyes, but she didn’t know why. “I thought you were coming with us,” she said accusingly.
“Griff will look after you,” Maddoc said, ignoring her. “Unfortunately, he is an Alpha and also a male. So I will not permit him to stand near you.”
Ana snorted softly.
“You may send messages to him through a female.”
At that she did laugh, and Maddoc’s eyes softened. “I will see you soon, my Analisa.”
He let go of her and suddenly she felt unsteady without him. She wasn’t ready to step away.
“Princess,” one of the high cloaks called. “You can step on, it’s safe.”
Ana turned. Everyone was waiting for her, but she hesitated. Finally, Maddoc lifted her and placed her on the raft. As soon as he let her go, it began to move smoothly and swiftly across the river.
“Wait!” She turned to Maddoc, but he was already shrinking into the distance. Tears sprang to her eyes as desperation and panic began to overwhelm her.
“Princess Ana!”
Ana turned to see Alice standing on the raft, Trea on her hip. “Alice? I didn’t realize you were here.”
Before Alice could respond, Trea reached for Ana, climbing into her arms. She wrapped her arms around Ana’s neck and her legs around Ana’s torso.
Ana laughed and patted her back. “Are you scared of the raft, Trea?”
“No, I’m protecting you,” she said into her neck.
“You are?” Ana said, smiling at Alice.
“Yes,” she said. “Doc said it’s my first mission.”
Ana’s face dropped. She turned to look back at Maddoc but she could no longer see him. She blinked away tears that rose as Alice placed a hand on her arm. “He’ll be with us again before you even know it,” she said gently.
The raft moved along the river at an unnatural speed. The river barely rippled as it slid along the water. Trea encouraged Ana to sit with them among the families. The little girl wanted snacks while completing her mission, then she promptly fell asleep. Ana rocked her gently and kept glancing back in the direction they’d come, wondering how far they were going.
When she turned to look ahead, she noticed the river opening up to a wide lake or sea, but she wasn’t aware of anything like that in the Oakenshire. However, Allandis was enormous, and some of it remained unexplored. Maddoc had said he had traveled all of it, and at this point she was willing to believe she was heading somewhere safe.
“Do you know where we’re going?” she asked Alice.
“Not exactly,” Alice said, her eyes were alive with excitement. “But I can’t wait to get there. Trea and I are the first coming here from our camp.”
“The rest of the camp is coming?”
Alice nodded.
Within a quarter of an hour, it looked like land was rising up on the horizon, coming toward them quickly as the raft sped forward. The families around her jittered in excitement, but Ana was nervous. She had never left the known areas of Allandis before, and now she suddenly realized, she was without the one person who always managed to calm her. She glanced up at the highcloaks and Griff was looking back at her. He nodded in reassurance. She forced herself to relax.
She watched the land come closer, hills and buildings coming into view as they neared.
Within another quarter of an hour, they were slowing as they neared the beach. The raft headed right into the beach and then jolted as it landed on the sand, dissolving itself and causing the passengers to fall over each other.
Trea laughed heartily and Ana found herself laughing with her as she got up and brushed the sand from her clothes.
The beach spread as far as the eye could see in both directions, but behind them were beautiful, well-kept gardens.
“We’re going this way, Princess,” Griff called, heading towards the gardens.
She turned to see that the families and some of the other highcloaks were heading in a different direction. Alice waved at her, but Trea hadn’t yet noticed that Ana was not with them, so she quickly tiptoed away with the highcloaks.
Griff led the way, but it wasn’t until she was halfway across the gardens that she realized five other highcloaks surrounded her in a wide circumference. One of them was Raine.
Ana stared at her, wondering why she didn’t feel any anger toward her now, but it had been so intense then. Maddoc never confirmed or denied if anything happen between them. It was something she should have asked.
As they veered around the gardens, a magnificent building came into view. Ana abruptly stopped.
“Who lives there?” she asked, astonished. She’d never seen any building styled in such a way. Cream and gold made up the whole multistory building, and shimmery gold paneling decorated some of the walls around enormous arched windows, and thick towers reached to the sky topped with round spheres and spires. It was expansive, but beautifully balanced with balconies, shrubs, and large trees with wide flat leaves. Ana couldn’t help but gape. She couldn’t still be in Allandis; she would have known if this building existed within her kingdom. They had to have traveled to a different kingdom.
“We need to keep going, Your Majesty,” Griff said. “We must reach the palace before dusk.”
Ana’s brows lifted. Palace? Yes, that suited it.
They kept walking until they reached the building, and although there were guards standing around the building, the highcloaks led her straight in through the front. It was even more impressive than the outside. Simple furniture, simple colors, and without the clutter and heavy ornamentation of the palace that she called home. It was beautiful.
“Ana!”
The familiar voice that rang out in the entrance hall made her freeze. “Milly?”
Milly ran to her, throwing her arms around her and hugging her tight.
“Milly! What are you doing here?” Milly’s familiar smell drew on all the memories she had of her home, her bedchamber, her library, her studies, her life at the palace. Milly signified everyday life, and the familiarity of it made Ana tearful yet again.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Milly said pulling back to her arm’s length, tears in her own eyes.
“What do you mean?” Ana looked around the palace. “Who is we? And how long have you been here?”
“Not that long, but you were supposed to be here already, from what I was told.” She scowled. “It’s so difficult to get anything from any of these guards.”
Ana blinked slowly, nothing made sense. “I don’t understand.”
“Let’s get you settled and then we can talk.”
Milly led her through a number of corridors to an elegant living space with a light airy feel to it, even as the skies were darkening outside. Ana stared out the window and saw the skies had a tinge of pink to them that she hadn’t seen before. When they’d left Maddoc in the Oakenshire, dusk had already arrived. “Where are we, Milly?”
Milly grinned. “In Allandis. Can you believe it?”
“No. I don’t understand how.”
Milly patted the sofa next to her. “I have only been here a few days myself,” she admitted. “But from what I understand, all this belongs to Maddoc.”
Ana made a face, holding up her hand in confusion. “Wait, tell me how you got here first.”
“After I spoke to you when my husband died—” She swallowed a sip of wine. “—I was approached by one of the courtiers in the palace. He said he had a job for me doing something similar to what I did now, but that it would take me away from the palace and my life, and everything that I’d known.”
“And you just believed it?” Ana asked in disbelief.
“No, no of course not. But then,” Milly’s voice lowered, and her shoulders dropped. “My son recovered from the attack, but he was very bitter and angry about everything. He refused to get a job or even think about a trade, and I could tell he didn’t want me around while he tried to correct his own life. I really had no reason to stay in Allandis. I wouldn’t have been able to keep my job with you without some kind of status from my son in his work. And someone was offering me similar work, better pay, living accommodation… It was very tempting,” she said lifting her shoulders. “And then, with the attack of the king at your wedding, I just didn’t want to be in the palace anymore. The kingdom was going to suffer, and I didn’t want to live a life with no status.” She leaned forward. “I know it sounds bad, but when you have no status, things can be very bad for you.”
Ana wondered if she knew. “Did you know about the corruption of the royal houses?”
““No,” Milly said sharply. “I never knew until I accepted this job. I was given a study with books and reports to create my lessons on, and some of those books had information in them that shocked me. Names, dates, places, written accounts…” Her mouth became a thin line and her chin trembled as she stared at Ana. “I never would have stayed there if I had known. I even found out that my husband had been involved in…” She lowered her head and swallowed. “I cannot bear to think about their actions.”
She looked down at her hand for a long moment, to the place her wedding ring used to be. “I’m not saying I don’t miss him dearly, but I won’t excuse him. Edward knew right from wrong. I cannot understand what compelled him. Now that I lost my status, something like that could have happened to me. And you know I did not tolerate those gossips in the Royal Court, so they could have targeted me very easily.”
Ana nodded thoughtfully. Milly did not make excuses for her husband’s behavior the way Maddoc said she made excuses for her father. “But…” Ana stared at Milly. “How are you all right with this? How are you comfortable with Maddoc? After everything that has been said about him.”
“Well, I haven’t met him yet,” Milly said. “I’m sure I will not be comfortable, in fact, I’ll be terrified. But once I knew about the royal houses, I had to decide which was worse. And if what they said about him wasn’t true, then I don’t really know him at all. Also, after what happened at your wedding, I suspected that you would be here. And I was willing to risk it to see you again.” She smiled.
Ana exhaled a breath and thought about what she said. “So you’re giving him a clean slate?”
“No, not exactly,” Milly said. “But I could no longer trust what we’ve been told about him, and I was desperate to leave. It is a risk.”
“Milly,” Ana said, carefully “Do you think Father was involved? I find it difficult to believe he was. You spoke to my parents regularly and you saw them together…. Do you think they were allowing these atrocities to happen?”
Milly leaned back in the chair. “I don’t know. Everything in me tells me that they did not, and I cannot believe that I would be that wrong about them.”
Ana held her breath, knowing more was coming.
“But if that is the case, I cannot see how it could have gotten so bad with the houses.” She shook her head. “That they were doing things out in the open, where anyone could have seen them. They were so bold in their abuse, and that usually comes from having some kind of power that is impossible to overcome.” She snorted. “If your father had been healed enough before I left, I would have questioned him within an inch of his life.”
Ana sat up straight, her stomach twisting. “What did you say?”
“I would have interrogated your father thoroughly before I left, if he had been up to it.” Milly looked furious. “Even if he had nothing to do with what the royal houses were doing, it still happened during his reign. He is supposed to protect the commoners! There’s no excuse for being unaware of what is happening to his people.”
“He’s alive?” Ana slowly rose from her seat, amazement threading through her and fogging up her throat. “Father is alive?”
Milly’s eyes widened. “You were not told? Yes! Your father is alive, Ana!”
“How could I be told?” Ana cried. “I’ve been with Maddoc since the wedding, I’ve had no news.”
Milly frowned. “But he is alive because of Maddoc, from what I have heard.” She looked around the room, as if searching for something or someone to clarify, but there was no one else in the room but them.
“What do you mean?”
“Well… that’s what I was told.”
Ana sat next to her. “How is he? Can you tell me how he’s doing?”
Milly patted the back of her hand. “That is all I know,” she said apologetically.
Ana exhaled, a bubble of relief and astonishment buoyant in her chest. If Father was alive, that put so much hope back into her heart about the possibilities for the kingdom. “Do you know how the royals are taking it?”
“From what I hear, there has already been three assassination attempts,” Milly said gravely. “I anticipate that they will eventually succeed, if he doesn’t recover quickly enough to do something about it. Ryden is currently acting king, regent king, while your father is sick, but only until they find you.”
Ana breathed hard, her mind trying to process all of the information at once. Ryden was alive too. And he was currently king, just like he always wanted! All it would take would be for her to go back to the kingdom and enforce her right as heir, and they would rule while Father recovered.
Everything would be how it was, and between them they could correct the corruption the houses were causing. But if that was a worthwhile plan, why didn’t she feel more excited about the idea.
“I can see you have plenty of things to think about,” Milly said, quietly.
Ana nodded. She didn’t have to ask Milly if she would ever go back, she knew she wouldn’t. Milly was much firmer than Ana, and her assessment of the courts, and of Maddoc, was more logical than Ana’s. And it made her feel like an ignorant child, once again.
“In the meantime,” Milly said, a smile spreading on her face as she lifted her arms and spread them around the room. “You should explore.”
* * *
It was strange walking around the palace. Although everything about it screamed wealth, it didn’t look the way she knew wealth looked. There were definite similarities, but this one had an exotic feel to it, as though created by a long-forgotten culture. It’s beauty was in its simplicity and fine details, and that was what made Ana begin to fall in love with it. If Maddoc wanted this to be her home, he’d certainly made a good effort.
On the ground floor, she opened a set of double doors with distinctive engravings over the panels to find an enormous library.
She rushed inside and spun in a circle, squealing, looking at everything, but heading over to examine the shelves. It was the biggest collection of books and parchment she’d ever seen, and excitement rose in her at the idea that new books were waiting for her to explore.
Upstairs in the bedroom, there was an enormous wardrobe tucked into the wall with extravagant dresses, including the two he had ripped off her those two nights. They’d both been repaired so well, it was as though they had never been torn.
When she turned to the bed, a familiar book lay on it, and Ana laughed as she picked it up. It was her favorite book, the one she brought to the room the first night she saw Maddoc. She never thought she would see it again.
She entered each of her private rooms, filled with excitement about the beauty of what she was seeing and enjoying the reminders of her Alpha. The enormous washroom had a bath so big, it favored a small lake. Handmaids drew her a bath and scented her water with oils, and she took her time washing, savoring the feel of the comfort she had once been so used to.
When she headed to bed, Milly popped in, and they sat talking about everything that happened since they’d been apart. Ana told her about the agreement she’d almost made with some of the houses, much to Milly’s horror, and Milly explained to her that beyond the palace there was a city that was just as beautiful and as strange as the palace. Ana wondered about where the families from Moonvale had gone, and she hoped they were enjoying wherever they were. She made a note to ask the highcloaks.
Climbing into bed, Ana realized there was no Alpha to hold her and no scent to comfort her in her sleep. Luckily, she was exhausted by the time her head hit the pillow and she fell asleep straightaway.
The next day she spent hours in the library looking over all the shelves and getting familiar with as many books as she could so she could try to find the next great read. Amazingly, there was an entire wall dedicated to Alpha and Omega stories, copies of all the stories and retelling she’d seen in her library and many more.
She began reading some of the Alpha and Omega stories that she hadn’t seen before, some of them dating back before Allandis existed. One of them even chronicled the story of King Allandis, the Alpha who founded the kingdom, and his haphazard, misfit Omega, Elyana.
Ana spent nearly three days buried in books covering the Alpha and Omega couples of Allandis, and the more she read, the more she understood her attraction to Maddoc. Much of the feelings described—intoxicating, addictive, a satisfying sense of completion—were how she would describe the many times she’d been with him. And it was through those emotions that she could understand the choices the couples made for the kingdom and why they made them. That must be how an Alpha and Omega rule—how her parents made their decisions. But that thought raised more questions.
Ana lay in bed thinking about how similar the connection between an Alpha and an Omega was across all the stories; it was almost identical in each one. Something nudged at her to make another connection, but her mind was too sleepy, and when she woke the next morning, it was gone.
* * *
On the fourth night, Ana paced the bedroom in agitation. She wanted to see Maddoc. In her rational mind, she had questions to ask him that he should have answered before he sent her here, but in her irrational mind, she just wanted to be near him, in his arms again. Not seeing him or talking to him for four days was torturous and she didn’t like that she’d heard nothing about him.
Sighing, she tried to calm herself and sat on the bed cross-legged. Clearly Maddoc had a plan that included them both being here. He never mentioned it to her, but it was vastly different than what she thought he expected from her.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. “Come in.”
The door inched open, and Raine slipped through, pressing herself against the wall.
“I’m sorry to disturb you, Your Majesty,” she said hurriedly. “I just wanted to… welcome you.”
Ana smiled, trying to put her at ease. “Thank you, Raine.”
Raine relaxed a tiny amount. “I just wanted to welcome you and say that…” She fidgeted. “I hope we can, at some point, be friends.”
Ana suddenly noticed Raine was not dressed as a highcloak. She wore a tunic with pants and a belt around her waist. Ana examined her, trying to figure out why she’d had hostile feelings toward her. Raine had never been aggressive or unfriendly toward Ana. In fact, she had been always polite and cordial. Her disheveled auburn hair that was usually tied back into one plait, fell to her shoulders and she was very pretty, just very different from Ana. Ana hadn’t noticed any attraction or a suggestion of such between Raine and Maddoc in all the time they were traveling into Allandis.
“I don’t know what I may have done to upset you.” She looked crestfallen. “But we… I’ve looked forward to you being with us for a long time. I hope that someday you will come to trust me as a highcloak or at least as a guard. Maddoc will never let me near you if he thinks you’ll be upset. He wouldn’t let me treat him after… what happened.”
Ana scowled. Maddoc wouldn’t let her treat him? He had not made that clear. “You didn’t do anything to upset me, Raine,” she said, eager to put her at ease. “I don’t know why I reacted that way.”
Raine smiled. “I think it’s because you have great instincts.”
“Do I?” Ana tilted her head. “Are you sexually involved with him?”
Raine’s face distorted into an expression of absolute horror. “No! That’s disgusting!” She quickly held a hand out. “Not meaning to offend, Your Majesty. It’s just… no. He is like a big brother to me.”
“Then my instincts are not that great at all.” Ana laughed. “I’ve been reading some of the Alpha and Omega books and I don’t know how mine could be so… wrong.”
“Wrong? They’re not wrong, Your Majesty. The two of you…” Raine sighed, a smile on her face. “The two of you are what gives the rest of us hope. That maybe one day we will find that.”
Ana’s smile faded as she recalled how often she’d nursed that hope when looking at her parents. The way her mother melted so contently into her father’s lap, the way they soothed each other with their touch, the undeniable attraction—the most powerful thing in every room. She and Maddoc had that. Sometimes it was hot and tense, sometimes it was explosive and violent. But it was always there, from that very first night. She glanced up at Raine, suddenly feeling exposed. “I… I’m sorry, I just….”
Raine shrugged. “That’s all right. You love him and you miss him. I understand.”
Ana blinked. Did she love him?
“I’ve been dealing with it for five years already with him, so I’m used to it.”
Ana leaned forward. “What do you mean?”
“Him pining for you.” Raine grinned, jokingly rolling her eyes. “It was a hard five years. Honestly, we really are glad you’re here.”
“Five years?” Ana stared at her. “Maddoc has felt that way for me for five years?”
Raine froze. “I’m not sure if he would want me to tell you that.” She pursed her lips and shrugged. “But it’s true. Everything changed five years ago, in terms of the focus of our missions, preparing this place, and dealing with the crown. Everything became streamlined and more urgent. We didn’t all know why at first, but it eventually became clear.”
Ana wracked her brain trying to think what happened five years ago that Maddoc would have suddenly focused on her.
“I suggest you talk to him about it,” Raine said. “I’m sure he is trying to manage the information he gives you, and I’m sure he hasn’t explained himself well at all, as usual. But you should know how crazy he is about you. He talks about you all the time.”
Ana recalled how friendly everyone was at Moonvale when she arrived, and Trea’s insistence that she wasn’t mean like other members of the court.
She exhaled, the weight of the revelation pressing heavily on her. This was… She thought for a moment. Obvious. It was obvious when looking at the facts. She’d never been attracted to Ryden, not once. The only difference between her and Maddoc and the Alpha and Omega couples from the books were that they were not fated to be together. What went so wrong with her? Could something have gone wrong with her pairing that led her to an Alpha who wasn’t hers? Mother had been so insistent, so had Father. In fact, everyone had.
“I should go,” Raine said, interrupting her thoughts. “I just wanted to say welcome. It’s so nice to have an Omega here.”
Ana straightened, something clicking into place. She looked over Raine again. Petite, shapely, and pretty. “Do you mean… nice to have another Omega here?”
Raine’s eyes widened. “I told you your instincts were great!”
Ana laughed, but she upturned her palms in surprise. “But you don’t have an Omega scent?”
Raine lifted her left wrist to show her a thin bracelet secured to it. “This prevents it,” she said. “But you guessed it from that night. I don’t know how.”
“I don’t know how, either,” Ana admitted. “It was very… I never really thought about it when it was happening, and it came over me so quickly.”
“It could have been heightened from your arousal or attraction and connection to Maddoc,” Raine explained. “Especially if you hadn’t been together much.”
Ana squinted at her. “You know about Alphas and Omegas?”
“I’ve been trying to learn,” she admitted. “But there isn’t anyone I can talk to about it who understands. That’s why I was hoping we could be friends.”
Ana smiled at her. “Of course we can.”
Raine let out a heavy breath of relief and finally pushed herself off the wall. “Good,” she breathed. “I have been in some scary fights in my life as a highcloak, but I’ve never been as scared as when you came into that tent. Your scent was…”
Ana laughed with her, though a little awkwardly. “I’m sorry about that, it really was not intentional.”
“That’s all right. I suppose you are still learning how to deal with your attraction and assessing all threats. There are bound to be some hiccups. It’s the same with training.”
“So you are a highcloak and an Omega? I’m surprised Maddoc allowed it.”
“I didn’t let him tell me what to do,” Raine said firmly. “I won’t let anyone fight on my behalf when I can help. Some women are best at supporting by being back at base. But not me. I cannot twiddle my fingers when I’m best on the field. It took a long time for Maddoc to learn that, but he finally did.”
There was so much Ana wanted to ask, but as soon as she yawned, Raine took her leave.
“We have plenty of time to talk another day,” Raine insisted.
Ana smiled and wished her a good night before climbing into bed, wrestling with a number of thoughts, but too tired to make any more connections.
* * *
The next morning, as she left the library, three highcloaks hurried past her with a sense of urgency, heading to the exit.
"Raine," Ana called. "What’s happened?"
"We're going back to Allandis," Raine said.
The way she said it, Ana knew something was wrong. "Why?"
"Stay here and wait for us to return, Your Majesty."
"What has happened, Raine?"
When Raine stopped in the corridor and hesitated, Ana demanded. “Tell me!”
"It's Maddoc," Raine said. "He was working to bring all the people from our guild here, the ones who are part of our guild who are still in the mainland, but he’s missing. It is suspected he was caught.”
Ana gasped. “By who?”
Raine pressed her lips together. “The current king.” She clenched her fist in frustration. “Maddoc never would have allowed himself to get into that situation, unless he was injured. His shoulder must have worsened."
"What do you mean, getting worse?” Ana asked, alarmed. “You said you didn’t treat him, but I thought it wasn’t that serious?"
“No, the wound in his shoulder was poisoned, Your Majesty. He needed further treatment."
“Poison?” Panic gripped Ana, and she forced herself to remember what Maddoc’s words. "The healer was going to treat him. A Moonvale healer."
Raine shook her head, almost apologetically. "No, your Majesty. Our healer is with your father. Maddoc sent her to him the day he was shot. He is recovering, but it is a very slow process. She can only use a small amount of magic at a time to treat such a delicate wound. Maddoc knew she would be with him for weeks."
Ana stepped back as if she'd been struck. All this time she’d been accusing Maddoc of killing her father and he never mentioned that he was alive or that he sent his healer to treat him. Why didn’t he say anything? A niggling thought at the back of her mind prodded her.
“Raine, what is taking so long.” Griff strode down the corridor toward them, stopping behind Raine. “Apologies, Your Majesty, but we need to go, now.”
“I’m coming with you," Ana said firmly.
Both Raine and Griff immediately said no.
"You must stay here," Griff said. "We will be back as soon as we can. There is nothing to worry about."
"If Maddoc has been captured, there is plenty to worry about," she snapped back.
Griff shot Raine a stern look.
"Don't blame her," Ana said. "I made her tell me. I want to know what is happening. You’ve brought me to this very strange, very different place and I've been here practically on my own when Maddoc said that he would be coming. If he is in danger, I want to help. I want to be there anyway I can."
"It will be extremely dangerous back in Allandis," Griff warned, "especially if Maddoc has been caught. Everyone will be searching for you, and if they get you, they will seek to use you to gain access to the throne, or to threaten it. It's too much of a risk."
"Not to mention that Maddoc will murder us for putting you back in danger," Raine added.
Griff looked at her, his brows raising slightly as he considered what she said. "I'm sure you know that is not an exaggeration," he said to Ana. "If you recall, the last highcloak that disobeyed his orders regarding you was shot in the leg with an arrow."
Ana clenched her fists, scowling in frustration, but Griff was firm.
"The best thing you can do is wait here,” Raine said gently. “Knowing you’re here, will give him more reason to fight to come back.”
Ana almost growled at her. Wasn’t she the one that said she didn't like sitting behind twiddling her thumbs while others risked their lives? Granted, Ana didn’t have training, but she had knowledge of royal court.
"And you are not alone here, Your Majesty," Griff said. "All the families that were at Moonvale are living in the city nearby. Camp sixteen in particular has been asking to visit you, but I thought you may want some time on your own to get to know your palace and recover from what you've been through."
"The families are all here?"
Griff nodded.
"Did the assembly find Moonvale?"
"Not yet."
Ana sighed. "All right. How can I help with the families who are arriving? Are they all arriving at the beach?"
"Yes," Griff said. "They are coming from different parts of Allandis, but they will all end up at the same beach. They would be thrilled if you would greet them at their arrival. I will ask some guards to escort you."
Ana nodded. "Thank you."
Raine stepped forward and grasped Ana's arm. "We will find him," she promised. "And we will bring him back."
"Nothing can keep him from you, Princess," Griff said. "I have witnessed that myself."
Ana escorted them to the palace entrance, and watched them as they headed toward the beach, a calm acceptance coming over her.
She knew what she had to do.
After changing into one of the dresses in her wardrobe, she called for Milly and her handmaids to do her hair, then asked the guards to meet her at the front entrance for her visit to the beach.
However, she slipped out of the side door and headed down the gardens toward the beach alone.
Unfortunately, she didn't know how to create the raft. That was pure magic and not something she understood. Maddoc hadn’t used any spell or items unique to him. As she walked along the beach, wondering where to find the magic sand, she suddenly realized it was all around her. Picking up a handful, she held her fist over the water and spread it out into the water the way she’d seen Maddoc do, and to her utter surprise and delight, rippling gold waves began to form on the surface, turning into a raft.
She climbed on tentatively, unsure how to direct it where to go. "Please take me to Maddoc," she whispered.
The raft began moving, speeding away from the beach, smooth and calm, and Ana sat down in relief. She hoped she ended up in Allandis and not somewhere else. She turned to look at the palace she was leaving, the new home that Maddoc had tried to create for her. But it wasn't a home yet. Nothing was a home without the people she cared for; she needed to be comfortable in order to embrace it.
Maddoc was a much more complicated man than she’d initially thought. Stubborn and irrational, he insisted on having his way, on having her, but he’d held onto information just like everyone else. She couldn't allow Maddoc to suffer for trying to help the people she was supposed to protect, the people her father was supposed to protect, and some answers she needed, only he could give. There was so much Maddoc hadn’t said and so much she still didn't know. What was he hiding and why?
There were also some hard questions for her father and mother, including why she was so sheltered from the truth about the royal assembly and why she was deeply attracted to a man who wasn't her fated mate.
She turned to stare at the direction that she was going, and a fierce determination gripped her. She wouldn’t stop until she got the answers she needed. It was time for her to grow up.
Within half an hour, the raft slowed at a lake near the honey marshlands, close to the palace. She climbed off and watched it melt back into sand, floating on top of the waves. On instinct she crouched and dipped her hand in the water to see if she could preserve any. The sand converged to the center of her palm, and when she lifted her hand out of the water the sand was dry. She grinned. So that was how they did it. Pouring the sand into a small pouch attached to her dress, she hid it among her skirts, then marched to the nearest town.
A royal sentry on the outskirts of the town stared at her as she approached, his mouth dropped open. “Princess Ana?”
"Yes," she said firmly. "Take me to the palace."